Michael Wacha (7-1, 2.27 ERA) is on the hill for the St. Louis Cardinals (35-18) as they square off against Carlos Frias (4-2, 4.29 ERA) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (31-22) in the first of a four-game series at Dodger Stadium. Action begins at 10:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, Jun. 4 and can be seen on FSN-MW, SportsNet LA and MLB.
Frias pitched 7.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering zero runs (one unearned), striking out three and walking two in a 5-1 win over the Cardinals. Adrian Gonzalez (.333, 36 Rs, 11 HRs, 39 RBIs) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 5 with one run and one RBI. When pitching against the Dodgers, Wacha is 0-1 with a 6.35 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and seven strikeouts. Matt Carpenter (.314, 35 Rs, 8 HRs, 29 RBIs, 1 SB) has been successful at the plate for the Cardinals, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run and two RBIs.
St. Louis is a slim -107 favorite over Los Angeles. According to the oddsmakers, the Over/Under (O/U) is currently seven runs. The Dodgers have an overall money line of +168 and a record as the underdog of 3-3. The Dodgers lead the MLB in home runs with 74. Los Angeles leads the whole NL in walks, earning an average of 3.7 per game. Crossing over to the pitching staff, opponents have consistently been struck out by the Dodgers, who lead the NL in strikeouts per home game with 9.5.
As for their opponent, St. Louis is coming in with an overall money line of +1,471 and an impressive record of 29-9 as the favorite. They played solid baseball as the favorite over their last 10 games with a 7-2 record, and an 8-2 record SU. The Cardinals allow 2.9 runs per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 2.1 runs per game during that span. The Cardinals have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an NL-best 8.0 strikeouts per road game, making them one of the top five teams in the league.
The Cardinals lead the season series, 2-1. The Dodgers have a great 20-4 record at home (29-15 overall) against right-handed starting pitchers, which is what they’ll be facing when Wacha takes the mound. Frias (RHP) will be on the hill against the Cardinals, who have a very good 29-13 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAD, O/U – Over
Notes
LA Dodgers are 19-6 SU in their last 25 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 9 of LA Dodgers’s last 13 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Dodgers’s last 5 games when playing St. Louis.
LA Dodgers are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing St. Louis.
LA Dodgers are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games when playing at home against St. Louis.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Dodgers’s last 6 games when playing at home against St. Louis.
St. Louis recorded at least two errors for the eighth time this season.
When the Cardinals play into extra innings, they have a 5-3 record. The Dodgers are 2-2 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Cardinals are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Dodgers have a 3-6 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Cardinals are 23-7. The Dodgers have a 23-5 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 18th in runs, St. Louis has earned 217 this season. Los Angeles ranks fourth with 244 runs.
Ranking 12th, St. Louis is in the top half of the league in walks, notching 166 this season. Los Angeles ranks in the top five at second with 198.
When the Dodgers hit at least one home run, they are 27-13. When the Cardinals hit at least one homer, they have a 22-6 record.
